Standard Template Construction
by RegisSantia
Summary: The rediscovery of the mythical Standard Template Construction Technology could usher in a new age of material prosperity for the Imperium. But some individuals will do anything to prevent this technology falling into the hands of the Mechanicus.
1. Might and Mechanism

**Author's Note: **A single planet guarding an ancient secret, a rivalry in the chamber of the High Lords of Terra, An Inquisitor with a holy mission. Whatever the outcome, there will be reprisals that will shake the very foundations of the Imperium.**  
**

**Might and Mechanism**

"Be seated Lord Inquisitor, your proposals have been heard," the voice of the High Lord of the Administratum grated through the chamber.

The tones of the next man to speak, the Ecclesiarch, were violent and loud, "They are obviously heretics, and heretics with a fleet presence must be exterminated immediately and without hesitation," he turned to the Paternoval Envoy of the Navigators, "have the Navis Nobilite mobilise."

"Ecclesiarch," the voice of the man who spoke next came through the machineries of an ancient vox set, every head turned, if the Fabricator-General had something to say then the issue was obviously important, for once the minds of the High Lords of the Adeptus Terra turned away from political conspiracy and focussed on the Magos Mechanicus, "do not be so hurried in destroying heretical fleets, as you know, the Cult Mechanicus has the long held right to investigate any lead which my point in the direction of the Gift of the Omnissiah."

"I agree with the lord Fabricator General," declared the Paternoval Envoy, "if these heretics should possess STC then the Fleet would sustain heavy casualties and might even prove unsuccessful in any attack. At this moment the Ultima Segmentum is in no condition to be fighting massed fleet battles for the sake of a single planet."

"Nonetheless, these men are heretics," cried the Ecclesiarch as the minds returned to their schemes, "and heretics must be dealt with without a moment of mercy."

"Do not be foolish enough as to confuse my search for the Gift of the Omnissiah for mercy Ecclesiarch," said the Fabricator-General, if anyone else in the galaxy had said that he would have died, slowly.

The Ecclesiarch was gathering himself to make a threatening reply but was stopped by the Master of the Administratum tapping his quill and calling, "Order, gentlemen order."

The Inquisitor Lord decided to speak, "Before making any final decision we must ascertain more information about the planet in question." He was backed up by six other voices including the Fabricator-General's. All the Ecclesiarch could do was grind the implants that had long since replaced his teeth.

"Very well," he muttered grudgingly, "I will see that the priest assigned to him ensures your Inquisitors faith in the Emperor. I trust that you are intending to send an Inquisitor."

"Yes," replied the Inquisitor Lord, it was now his turn to look sour.

"Will there be anyone else apart from the preacher and one of my Magosi to aid this inquisitor?" asked the Fabricator-General as the Inquisition representative wondered why he was inviting more interference.

Soon each of the High Lords had pledged their support to the venture that would decide whether the souls of a planet would live, or die.


	2. A New Ally

**Author's Note: **Very sorry N. Kage, to keep you waiting. I hope that you like this chapter.

**A New Ally**

Inquisitor Valorus plunged his force sword into the chest of the possessed Tau Ethereal. Alien blood mixed with sickening daemonic ichor ran along the blade as the creature within the Xeno sought to break free.

Tarquinius Valorus sent the power of his soul rushing down the psychically conductive blade as it met the power of the daemon coming the other way. He could feel the alignment of the monstrosity through years of experience. The thing belonged to the cursed Prince, Slaneesh.

He sent a single psychic attack fuelled by faith and resolution crackling along the blade. If that was unsuccessful he was finished. The battle had drained him, and that was the last of his strength.

He raised his plasma pistol and fired a blast into the daemon's host. Beside him Hierophant Confessor Strauss swept away a Tau trooper with a swing from his power brazier and his Cherubim, Sephanos was bringing its scimitar onto the helmet of another of the Xeno.

He felt the daemon within the Tau give way, it was weaker than him, the Grey Knights and his Hierophant had done their work.

His gun servitor sent a blast of melta fire into the near by Devilfish as the two Squads of Grey Knights under Justicar Methuselah engaged the remaining fire warriors.

The battle was won. He signalled to the drop ship in orbit to come to the surface to pick his fighters up, activating his homer.

Minutes later the craft emblazoned with the Inquisition symbol landed on the surface with the scream of ancient engine technologies.

The Inquisitor marched up the metal boarding ramp, his boots clanging against the metal.

The pilot greeted him with the Sign of the Aquila, "If you please sir, there's a Lord and a large party awaiting you on the Black Ship in Orbit."

"Very good," stated Valorus, sitting down at a low table and watching his soldiers march in victorious.

Aboard the Inquisition Black Ship above the skies of the verdant world he was met by a man he knew to be as high-ranking Inquisitor Lord.

The lord spoke first, "Inquisitor Valorus, I am Lord Inquisitor Mournio. I am here to inform you that you have been assigned to investigate a newly discovered and highly industrialized planet. It may not be the typical work of the Ordo Malleus but high command believes that you are the man for the job, you have been assigned a retinue and are to begin immediately," he leaned a little closer and lowered his voice, "about the retinue Inquisitor, I wouldn't trust one of them. So keep your eyes open."

Valorus nodded and his superior led him through a doorway. Inside the small austere audience chamber were fifteen people.

The first, who stood as the Inquisitors entered, was a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, that was obvious.

The voice of the Enginseer grated through a vox set that had probably been built long before Valorus was born, "I am Archmagos Ventr. I have been ordered to aid you in the technological aspect of your investigations." So, not an Enginseer, a fully-fledged Archmagos, there must be something about this planet that they hadn't told him. He studied the man more closely, although whether he could be technically classified as a man was doubtful. Even the lowly Enginseers he had met had seemed to be verging on the line between human and, something else, the Archmagos was definitely over it. He had a variety of tools where his right hand would be, and a hollow tube on his left forearm, surrounded by other capsules. There was no face to speak of, it was either replaced by bionics or covered by a large hood. Tubes and wires of various descriptions extended from his back to other parts of his body, and in a few cases, ended in prosthetic eyes or servo skulls.

The other men and women included a stony faced Commissar who had shaken Valorus' hand _very _firmly, a preacher who had openly glared hatred at the Inquisitor, a new scribe, a navigator, and soldiers from both the Guard and the Adepta Soraritas along with several others.

After an exhausting round of introductions Inquisitor Valorus managed to speak privately to his superior, "My lord, to ensure my safety I would like to be allowed to choose one final ally. The man I have in mind resides in the Inquisition Fortress on the planet of Maskrie, not far from here. I insist on picking him up before we proceed to the destination."

"Very well," replied the Inquisitor Lord.


	3. Spirit and Knowledge

**Author's Note: **My thanks to those who reviewed. And aye, Tau probably can't be possessed. The mission is of such importance that the High Lords themselves have selected a retinue for Valorus, replacing the retinue he was building.

**Disclaimer: **I can't remeber the last time I wrote one of these. I happen not to own anything owned by Games Workshop, including the Catechism of the Autoculus of Mars.

**Spirit and Knowledge**

Three figures scurried along one of the Corridors of Power, one of the high vaulted halls that made up the labyrinthine corridor network of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra.

In silhouette they would have appeared as blobs, each was so heavily hooded and cloaked.

The first muttered, "The Inquisitor delays, why? He cannot know."

"Indeed he cannot," agreed the second, "he must merely be performing some routine task."

"Yet we must be prepared, we cannot allow him to become unduly aware," whispered the third.

"Indeed not," replied the first, his voice a grim hiss that lived off suspicion.

"Even if by some miracle he did become aware, what would it matter, all our agents are in position," said the second, turning to the third, "your men can, I suppose, be trusted."

"I assure you," answered the third, a man with an uncaring but calculating voice, "he is the best man in his position in all my organisation."

"I hope that criterion can be applied to the task in hand," said the second man, his voice accusatory.

"Please my lords," interjected the first before the third could retort, "we are here to fight a common enemy, and infighting can only weaken us. Do not be deceived that our enemies stand as only two and we are three, with possibly two more, they are yet extremely mighty."

"They can be brought down, I can see to it," said the second, a dangerous confidence lingering in the words.

"Plan your strike carefully sir," warned the third, "we would not want another outright war, the Imperium is waging more than I can count. And should you fail," he let the words hang in the still air of the corridor.

"Do not worry yourself about me, I am quite capable of pulling miracles off," answered the second, menace and veiled threat pulsing below his words. "In but a few months none of us will have anything to worry about."

They parted and the second muttered to himself, "And neither of you will have anything to worry with if I have any say in the events of those months."

On Mars the Fabricator General, fulfilling his duties as the Magos Mechanicus,

"Toll the Great Bell Once!

Pull the Lever forward to engage the

Piston and Pump…

Toll the Great Bell Twice!

With push of Button fire the Engine

And spark Turbine into life…

Toll the Great Bell Thrice!

Sing praise to the

God of All Machines!"

He spoke the Catechism of the Autoculus of Mars with fervour unfathomable because of the grating monotony of the sound through his vox set and the amplified sound of voice was almost drowned out by the tolling of the Great Bell.

After the service for the glory of the Omnissiah that followed he swept into the underground levels of the machine factory that was his palace, accompanied by two Skitarii with power axes.

The forest of servo arms from his back connected to the data ports on the walls of the corridors and assimilated the collected memories of every machine on Mars into the ancient memory banks built into his brain.

He met with another tech priest who would be long past decrepit if not for the metal built into his body.

"My lord," began the Archmagos who had greeted the Fabricator General after making a Cult Mechanicus sign of respect, "I am told that Ventr has been sent with an Inquisitor to investigate a planet that may hold the key to the Gift of the Omnissiah."

"This is correct."

"My lord I protest," stated the Archmagos, "The Inquisition has no business meddling in the affairs of the Mechanicus."

The Fabricator General would have laughed, if he had still been able to, "What is the purpose of the Inquisition if not to meddle? Besides, this venture is of utmost importance at the table of High Lords."

The Archmagos would have scowled, but instead an ultrasound transmitter on his back sent out a signal indicating annoyance, a receptor built into the Fabricator General picked up the signal as the Archmagos began, "We should not have to concern ourselves with the wishes of the High Lords of Terra. If the Imperium does not like our ways let it try to do without us."

"Do not be so foolish, granted the Imperium needs us, perhaps more than we need it, but remember that need it we do, and never forget it. Never."

"Yes my lord."


	4. An Old Friend

**Author's Note: **Seurat, Your guess is not quite correct, allow me to enlighten you. The Cult or Adeptus Mechanicus is an organisation that creates all of the technological devices for the imperium of Man. They have a monopoly because they are the only ones who half understand how technology work. They worship a Machine God or Omnissiah, as far as I remember the terms are interchangeable, which, while it does not strictly adhere to the official religion of Emperor Worship organised by the Ministorum headed by the Ecclesiarch is accepted because they are so vitally important. My thanks also to N. Kage and Lennox RH for taking the time to review.

**An Old Friend**

The Black Ship sped through the Warp, its navigator taking his bearing from the Atronomican and sening the ship on its way to the Inquisition Fortress Planet of Maskrie.

Tarquinius disembarked to a chorus of howling wind, striding with his red cloak whipping around him, the cold sinking its teeth into his face above his white artificer armour.

The city of Martinus, under the control of the Ordo Xenos, was in the grips of a winter; snow coated the gothic imperial architecture. One Imperial Eagle was buried up to its double neck.

Valorus walked in the direction of the Deathwing Fortress Monastery, he knew the way. An old friend lived there.

The building was massive and imposing, statues of angels holding massive swords and great balls of holy flame, promising protection and vengeance in equal measure, jutted from the apex of every wall.

As Tarquinius approached the outer gates he was met by a squad of Terminators, emblazoned with the symbol of the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos.

The sergeant examined his Inquisitorial Seal and then motioned to him to follow. The Terminators formed a pentagon around him and led him through the central courtyard into the barrack block on the other side. Valorus could hear the sounds of weaponry, the kind of shouting that sergeants excel at, and the battle cries of warriors coming from the training blocks on either side.

The Terminators left him in the Receptorium and returned to guard duty, a scribe came in and was sent to find Valorus' acquaintance of old.

He returned followed by a massive marine wearing artificer armour in the Deathwing colours with the symbol of the Raven Sons chapter on his shoulder but carrying no weapons. The marine's face lit up when he saw Valorus rising to great him.

"Tarquinius," he bellowed, slapping his hand down on Valorus' shoulder, the inquisitor's knees nearly buckled, but he reached up and placed his own hand on the ceramite shoulder pad his friend wore.

"It's good to see you again Matheson."

"What brings you here, I trust you are not here to merely speak with me."

Valorus did not insult the marine whose life he had saved by going through the pleasantries so beloved of the imperial Governors he so often found himself investigating, "You know me to well I fear. You are right of course. I am here to request your assistance on a mission that has been forced upon me by the higher ups, maybe even by the high Lords themselves. Of course, anything with the High Lords involved will have some political infighting stamped on it," Matheson grunted his agreement, "I would personally prefer not to be the victim of some petty grudge, and because I've been assigned a retinue instead of being allowed to keep my own I can't trust them for my protection."

"That's where I come in?" said Matheson raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes."

"Very well," said the marine Chaplain, "I need to know of the nature of the mission of course."

"Of course," replied Valorus. "I am to investigate a highly industrialised planet which has apparently been trading with the Tau, or at least that's the "official" reason for Inquisition interference, with an Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos. I have decided to pose as the Rogue Trader Menhartes, you, if you do not find it too offensive, will be my bodyguard, in fiction as well as in reality, the massive dumb product of an Adeptus Mechanicus experiment," the Chaplain obviously disapproved, but Valorus was a good friend to whom he owed every part of his life, so disagreement was not an option, "the other political spies who have been assigned to me will pose as a group of renegades with just as much reason to hate the Imperium as your character or mine. I will provide you with the briefing files. We leave in two days. What say you?"

The Chaplain sat silent for a moment, "To aid you in your work for the Emperor, I would fly to the centre of the Eye of Terror and back!"

"Excellent!" exclaimed Valorus, standing and bowing.

The Deathwing Chaplain returned the gesture of respect and they parted back to their separate duties with solemn goodbyes.


	5. A Strange Destination

**A Strange Destination**

**Author's Note: **Apologies for only marginally increasing chapter length. My thanks to all those who reviewed. I wikll try to reply to them all next time.**  
**

Valorus was quite satisfied to see that no one in his retinue was not intimidated by the massive presence of Matheson.

The preacher managed to convert enough of his fear into anger to demand, "Who is that?" He pointed at the marine but looked at Valorus, the courage it took to give that insult to a man twice his size was not to be sniffed at.

"Chaplain Matheson, formerly of the Raven Sons, who will be travelling with us under the alias of Olympus, my bodyguard, and you will not forget it."

"Yes sir," said the preacher, but as he turned away Valorus could have sworn he heard him mutter something that sounded like, "little better than heretics."

The party of fifteen boarded the tiny rogue trader vessel that they had been provided with to make good their appearance of being small-scale traders running from Imperial oppression.

The ship left the atmosphere of Maskrie with its engines whining, struggling to pull free of the gravity that grasped out with its tendrils to haul it back.

The hellish transition into the Warp came later.

Valorus as a psyker could feel the daemons pushing against the Geller Fields, trying to force their way into the ship. That kind of knowledge might intimidate or indeed madden a lesser individual, for an Ordo Malleus inquisitor it was merely reinforced faith in duty.

Yet to focus only on daemons was to invite them into your mind, and so Valorus walked into his quarters to further extend the part he was to play, the rogue trader Menhartes.

He had used the alias before on several operations, but he would have to add a recent history of some sort to explain the sudden flight of a reasonably wealthy trader from the Imperium.

That wasn't hard. If his character had reputedly traded with the Tau, then I would tie in with the official reason for his investigations and give reason for him to run to his target world instead of the other semi barbaric worlds where the Imperium did not rule where he cold live like a king.

He spent two hours inventing some plausible circumstances and another hour or so ensuring that everyone who would travel with him on the surface of the planet was sure of the characters and histories of the fictional individuals that they would play.

Confident in the fact that his work was done, he took the rest of the journey to sleep, knowing full well that circumstances would probably prevent him resting except in short bursts for the rest of the mission.

He was woken by Matheson telling him that their destination was less than a day away.

"How long have I slept?" he asked, considerably less blearily than someone without experience in waking quickly as required.

"A few days, very wise, our navigator informs us that we are nearing our destination."

"Very well, I'll oversee our approach in a minute or so."

The chaplain nodded and exited the chamber, allowing Valorus to pull on his overrobes and wash himself.

Not long later he strode onto the bridge.

"Time until we reach our destination?" he demanded of one of the Servitors attached to the bridge navigational banks.

"Three hours sir," replied the toneless voice instantly. The Servitor did not turn around.

"Very well."

He gestured to Matheson, "Kindly follow me Chaplain," he said, leaving the bridge.

The Marine followed him, and as he left the bridge some of the tension inside deflated a little. Valorus smiled, best to keep them on their toes. Let the traitors reveal themselves.

The Inquisitor and his friend moved through the cramped corridors of the ship, the Marine usually bent almost double.

As they moved past the cabin sectors Valorus heard raised voices, needless to say Matheson did too.

Valorus unnecessarily gestured the marine to silence and crept forwards, stopping outside the slightly ajar door to the quarters of Commissar Vance.

"I represent the Departmento Munitorum and I will be obeyed!" that voice was the Commissar, loud and brave, but not unruly.

"Commissar, there are things about this mission that you do not know. I would advise you not to interfere in my particular aspect of it," that was the voice of one of the Guardsmen, but not the kind of language that a seasoned Inquisitor would expect from one.

"You are under the jurisdiction of the Departmento Munitorum. I have the authority of the Departmento on this mission!"

"Very well Commissar," sighed the guardsman. There was a pause, then a stifled gasp.

"Now do you see?" asked a new voice, female.

"Yes," replied the Commissar gruffly.

"Good."

Sensing that the conversation was over Valorus returned to Matheson and whispered to him to start walking again.

The Inquisitor and the Chaplain walked forwards as the Commissar and the guardsman emerged from the room. Vance looked slightly alarmed at seeing them, but the face of the Guardsman was immobile, carefully enough that it appeared casual. There was no doubt about it, he had some secret, Valorus would have to find out what it was soon. Very soon.

At that moment an alarm sounded, filling the corridor with its howl.

The four of them in the corridor ran in the direction of the bridge, Matheson's enhanced legs bringing him there just as the navigation Servitor stated, "Warp Breach Imminent."


	6. A Place of Haven

**Author's Note:** Here I am, back after a break. I hope that this chapter is up to stcratch. **  
**

**A Place of Haven**

"What do you mean, Warp breach? " roared Valorus, striding onto the bridge.

The husky tones of the Navigator rose behind him, filled with the voices of all the other Navigators from his family in a Warp Trance, "A breach, Lord Inquisitor, in the Warp."

"Don't sport with my intelligence," bellowed Valorus in reply, "answer me straight. How can there be a breach in the Warp?"

"You have heard of Null Fields?"

"Aye," answered Valorus.

"What we have before us is like a massive Null Field, the size of a system," stated the Navigator, as if talking to a child or idiot.

"Be advised that patronising me is unwise," growled Valorus in the back of his throat, "what precautions can be taken?"

"If we sail straight through the breach shockwaves will tear us apart," rasped the Navigator, "if we are nearing our destination I would advise exiting immediately from then Warp and traversing the area by sub Warp propulsion."

"You heard him, how far are we from our destination?" barked Valorus at the navigation Servitor.

"Estimates say that we are within the target system, initial schedules advise on a further ten minutes in the Warp," responded the man-machine blankly.

"Very well," began Valorus, "Take us out of the Warp. Navigator?"

"Yes sir," affirmed the Navigator.

"Begin scanning to discover the source of the Warp breach," ordered Valorus.

The crew of the ship, the Navigator and the complement of Servitors, moved frantically and Valorus prayed that they possessed skill enough to keep them all alive in this most difficult of operations.

The compulsory alarms blared as, with a marked shudder and a dimming of lights, the craft wrenched itself violently free of the daemon realm of the Empyrean and into normal space.

"Report to me when you have studied the situation," Valorus ordered the navigator, "I will talk with Commissar Vance."

He gestured to the man to follow. Suspicion mingled with fear was in the Commissar's eyes, Valorus knew how to notice things like that. It was half the skill of being an Inquisitor. The oldest and most experienced could read a man as simply as they might read a book.

"Commissar, are you aware of your duty on this mission?" asked Valorus.

"Of course," Vance replied, hesitation showing that he hadn't expected that question. He was, however, very definite in his answer.

"Tell me," ordered the Inquisitor.

"To represent and serve the interests of the Departmento Munitorum as I see to be best," rapped out the man in answer.

"Very well," said Valorus, giving the man his best unsettling smile, "I am altering your mission."

Vance frowned, at first in pure puzzlement, quickly though the confusion changed into anger. "You cannot do that!"

"I am afraid that I can," replied Valorus, "you are no longer under the command of the Departmento Munitorum, rather you are a requisitioned agent of the Inquisition and will obey my commands without hesitation. Do you understand?"

The Commissar didn't answer, his mouth was half open and his brain was searching frantically for some counter to the Inquisitor's statement. He closed his mouth, then opened again. Then, once again, he closed it. Finally he managed, "Yes sir."

Valorus swept away, smirking slightly, leaving the Commissar gawping like a fish against the harsh metal walls.

The Inquisitor hoped that the Commissar could be trusted know, Vance seemed to be a man who valued honour and loyalty and that sort of thing; it came of being attached to the Guard.

There were other threats to control, but Valorus was confident. With Matheson watching his back he could break the opposition in the course of the operation. That was another one of the skills that made a man an Inquisitor.

Later, the Navigator stood before Valorus' desk, a chart table beside him showing a projection of the system.

"As an Inquisitor you will of course be aware of Null Theory," he began. Valorus nodded. "You will know furthermore that a larger body of Null inducing material will create a larger Null field."

"Yes, yes, get to the point," said Valorus, not appreciating the dramatic style.

A scowl passed fleetingly across the Navigator's barely visible features, but he continued, "Because the Null field is shaped around our target planet I have surmised that that planet must contain a Null body of great size, perhaps the size of a planetary core."

"You are saying that the most obvious explanation is that the planet has Null material for a core," summarised Valorus.

"Yes, sir."

A thought struck Valorus and he rose moving to the corner of the compartment and the cage that housed his familiars.

At the bottom of the cage one of the little cyber-creatures twitched. All of the rest lay deathly still.

"Interesting," said Valorus.

He turned back to the navigator, ready to say something else, but then, for the second time within an hour the alarm blared and the voice of a servitor came over the vox system, "Ships incoming."


End file.
